Pastor’s Corner: “Living in the Overflow”
If you and I are really following Christ, we will be considered odd by those who are not believers. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NIV) – 18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. Christians hold closely to certain beliefs that just make us odd, and then as we act on those beliefs we seem even more odd.
A.W. Tozer puts the oddness of a Christian this way: “A real Christian is an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for one he has never seen. He talks familiarly every day to one he cannot see, he expects to go to heaven on the virtue of another, empties himself in order that he might be full, admits he is wrong so that he can be declared right, goes down in order to get up. He is stronger when he is weakest, richest when he is poorest, and happiest when he feels the worst. He dies so that he can live, forsakes in order to have, gives away so that he can keep, sees the invisible, hears the inaudible, and knows that which passeth knowledge.”
All this adds up to a life that is peculiar, maybe even eccentric, sometimes threatening and absolutely foreign to this world! But the attribute of the Christian that rises above the rest is LOVE! 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NLT) – 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love. John 13:35 (AMP) – 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”
Imagine that your life is a fountain. If you focus mostly on yourself, you’ll be too dry or clogged up to flow properly. But if you shift your focus to other people, the living water of God’s love will flow through you to your family, friends, and others throughout your community and the world. 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (AMP) – 12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and excel and overflow in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you; 13 so that He may strengthen and establish your hearts without blame in holiness in the sight of our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His]saints (God’s people). I like how the Message version of the Bible puts it: 1 Thessalonians 3:12-13 (MSG) – 11-13 May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers.
Here’s how you can let God’s love flow through you:
* Invite God to fill you up. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Then rely on His power and wisdom in your everyday life. Depend on God’s unlimited strength instead of your own limited strength. Recognize that God Himself will provide all the living water your fountain needs to overflow into other people’s lives.
* Remember your blessings, and ask for new ones. Make time to write down some memorable ways God has blessed you – including some blessings that came in disguise. Think about how those blessings have shown you God’s love in action. Thank God for specific blessings He has already given you, and don’t hesitate to ask Him for new ones.
* Let your selfish ways decrease so God will increase within you. Ask God to help you change selfish thought and behavior patterns. Pray about each of them specifically. Don’t depend on your own efforts or look to other people to find true fulfillment. Remember that God is the only reliable source of fulfillment.
* Offer your treasure to God. Recognize that God placed such a high value on you that He was willing to die for your sins so you can be reconciled to Him. Honestly ask yourself what your relationship with God is worth to you. Consider what you treasure most in your life – time, money, family, friends, your work, or something else. Then think and pray about how you can offer that treasure to God by using it to serve Him.
* Get to know God’s voice. Get your spiritual senses tuned up through prayer, Bible reading, and talking with Christians you admire who will help you grow in Faith. Ask God to reveal Himself to you and help you recognize His voice. Stop hurrying; slow your pace of life down and pay close attention to ways God will speak to you every day. Stop worrying; realize that dwelling on your concerns will drown out God’s voice. Decide to trust that God is powerful enough and loving enough to care for your problems. Choose to trust that God knows what’s best for your life. Know that when you trust in God is when you’ll be most fulfilled. Pray for God to make you aware of the things that steal your time, help you give up control over the things you worry about, and to help you trust Him with every aspect of your life.
To be continued tomorrow……
In His Grace,
Pastor Hamilton